The Cat's Victory
by Lil-Brown-wRen
Summary: Kyo and Tohru have gotten closer. How will Yuki handle it? Complete.
1. Popping the Question

Hello there, me again! Yes, I know I'm horrible about keeping up with stories. But that doesn't mean I forget them! New ones come to me, though, and I wanted to get this one out before it falls into the black hole of "Someday I'll finish this... if I can remember where it was going!"

So I hope you like it! I'm working my way through the manga, but since I've only read about a third of it I'm mostly basing this on the anime. So if anything in here isn't canon to the manga - especially after book 6! - I'm sorry, but please don't spoil it for me!

Happy reading!

---

A year had passed since Tohru saw Kyo's true form. She had never shied away from him, or shown any sort of fear when talking to him. The memory had far from faded in her mind, though, and for the first few weeks Kyo had heard her crying out in her sleep - sometimes it was just screams, sometimes she said his name, or Akito's. He didn't know why she dreamed of Akito, but when he would stand just outside her room, silently opening her door just wide enough to peer inside, he would watch her toss and turn and know she was having a nightmare. And from her whimpers - "Kyo, no… your bracelet…" - he didn't need to be told what they were about. Some nights he would hear her cry out, and go to her room, only to see Yuki standing there, watching her as the cat often did. When the rat did look at him, it was with eyes full of hate - Yuki, too, knew what troubled Tohru in her sleep. But other nights, he would just stand at the door with a mingled expression of sorrow and fear. These were usually the nights when Akito's name came from the sleeping girl's lips. Kyo never had found out what had happened the day Tohru spoke to Akito, but he knew what the expression on Yuki's face meant - he was sorry for whatever had happened, but he was too afraid of Akito to help his friend.

As time went on, though, Tohru's nightmares had been fewer and further between. They had also been more often about Akito, and less about Kyo. After a number of weeks the girl seemed to sleep as peacefully as ever. Even during the day, she seemed to get more and more cheerful and comfortable with Kyo. She spent more time with both him and Yuki. Shigure started calling them the "Mabudachi Trio Part Two," which annoyed Yuki and Kyo to no end. Tohru, of course, didn't seem to mind, or to know what was going on, really. Yuki and Kyo still fought, but less and less often. More members of the Zodiac had stopped by at various times to meet the famous Tohru Honda, each visit delighting her and, more often than not, annoying Yuki and especially Kyo. Tohru had gotten better at guessing which animals people were, which was especially good for the girls, since they couldn't just hug random strangers to show her their animal form.

Now, it was raining again. Kyo lay listlessly on the porch, watching the falling water. He lay on his side, his head propped on his hand. Tohru was inside making tea and washing the dishes from that morning's breakfast. Yuki and Shigure were out buying supplies to repair a wall from a recent brawl. If it hadn't been raining, Kyo would have had to go, but as it was they all knew he would just get in the way. He heard the door slide open behind him, and turned just slightly to see Tohru standing over him with a pot of tea and two cups.

"Would you like some tea now, Kyo? It might give you more energy," she suggested. Kyo shrugged, but pushed himself up with a groan and lumbered inside, where he immediately dropped down again. Tohru smiled, watching him, then slid the door shut and sat down across the table from him to serve the tea. Kyo took a sip and froze, his hackled rising. Tohru looked up, worried. "What is it? Is it too strong? Too weak? Too-"

"Milk. Now," was all he could respond through clenched teeth.

"Oh! Right! I-I'm sorry!" Tohru hurried into the kitchen, then quickly returned with the milk. Kyo poured a liberal amount into his cup, causing it to overflow and spill over his hand and onto the table.

"Gah!" Kyo dropped the cup, splashing hot tea everywhere. Tohru held up her arms to shield herself as it hit her. She winced in pain, then looked to see if Kyo was alright.

"Kyo, are you…" she gasped. "The milk!"

"Huh?" Kyo tore his attention from his burning hand to the one holding the milk. He was still holding it in a pouring position, but without a cup to catch it, the milk was pouring straight onto the table. He quickly turned it upright and set it down. He hung his head. "Sorry… sorry, Tohru."

She smiled brightly. "It's fine! I'll clean it up! But first…" She rose and grabbed his wrist carefully, leading him into the kitchen. "We should get that burn taken care of!" She turned on the cold water, and carefully held Kyo's hand under it to cool it off. He watched her as she carefully turned his hand this way and that.

"Tohru… you didn't get burned?"

"Ah…" The question took Tohru by surprise, and her face gave it away for just a short moment before she replied, "Nope! I'm fine!"

Kyo looked at her tenderly. He liked having her hold his hand, but at the same time, he knew she was lying about getting burned. He could see the brown tea stains and red, irritated skin on her arms as she turned them. When she let go of his hand and reached to turn the water off, Kyo carefully grabbed her arm and held it under the water.

"Kyo, what…?"

"Your turn." He gently handled her arm, moving it under the water so that the whole thing was washed. When one arm was done, he took the other and continued washing and cooling it. "Let me take care of you for once, Tohru." He smiled down at her, and saw her looking back at him, blushing, a stunned expression on her face.

"Kyo, I-"

"WHAT HAPPENED HERE?"

"Oh!" Tohru seemed to forget what she had been about to say as she rushed back out to the scene of disaster. Yuki and Shigure had returned. The latter had tears streaming down his face, while the former just looked stunned. "Oh- I'm so sorry, I hadn't gotten to cleaning up yet, I was trying to help Kyo, but then he was washing my arms, and I guess I forgot, and…" She trailed off, seeing pieces of Kyo's teacup, which had broken when he dropped it. She knelt down and began picking up pieces. "Careful, everyone! Better not walk through here until it's safe- oh!" She picked up her hand and noticed that it had been cut on a shard. "Ow…" she stuck the bleeding finger in her mouth, but continued trying to clean up with her other hand, even as tears streamed down her face.

"Tohru, you shouldn't have to do this!" Despite his words, Shigure made no move to help.

"Yeah," Yuki agreed, "you should get that stupid cat to- huh?" Before he could even finish his sentence, Yuki realized that Kyo had come out of the kitchen with several towels and a trash can. Kyo flashed Yuki a look of hatred, then knelt and took Tohru's unhurt hand.

"Stop that. This is my fault. Let me take care of it," he told her gently.

"Oh… b-but Kyo…"

"Here, Tohru." Yuki stood above the pair, extending his hand to the girl. "Let the stupid cat clean up." He noticed said cat tensing at his words, but paid the boy no heed. "Come upstairs so I can tend to your hand." He smiled brightly.

"O-okay…" Tohru took Yuki's hand and stood, but looked down at Kyo. "Will you be okay?" Kyo only grunted in response.

"Oh, he'll be fine," Shigure assured her. "What's more important is that we wrap up that finger of yours."

"He's right," Yuki agreed. "Come upstairs with me and I'll take care of it."

"Okay…" Tohru followed Yuki and Shigure, who was ignoring the mess and going upstairs to work on his latest romance novel. Tohru paused for just a moment at the foot of the stairs to look back at Kyo, silently cleaning. _Kyo… he's being so… nice today. Is it because of the rain?_

---

"Hey, Tohru."

"Hm?" Tohru turned from the stove to see Kyo leaning against the wall.

"Are you… alright? Did that rat get you taken care of?"

She smiled. "Yep! I'm fine now, thanks to you _and_ Yuki!"

"Huh? What did I do?"

"You took care of my arms!" She held them up to show him.

"Oh… that's good. Listen, I- hey, careful!"

"Huh?" Tohru looked back at the stove and saw that the soup was starting to boil over the side of the pot. "Oops!" She quickly began stirring, causing the boiling to go down. "We don't need any more messes, do we?" She laughed. "What were you saying?"

Kyo shrugged. "I…" _I'm sorry for causing you trouble. _"Nothing. We're almost out of milk, though. I'm gonna run to the store after dinner, if it's not raining."

"Okay!" Tohru turned again to smile at him. "Thanks, Kyo!"

He looked away, hoping she didn't see him blushing. "No problem." He started to leave. "Hey, Tohru…"

"Yes?"

"Would you… like to come?" He glanced over his shoulder to get her reaction. She looked taken aback. He turned away. "Never mind. Forget it." He started to leave again.

"Ah- Kyo!" He stopped in his tracks and turned as Tohru ran up to him. "I would love to go with you," she said, happily and honestly. Kyo started to smile, then looked over her shoulder.

"Tohru, the soup!"

"Ah? AHH!" She ran to rescue the food from boiling over again. Kyo laughed silently.

"You keep the food from burning. We'll go after dinner."

"Right!" Tohru turned once more to exchange one last smile with him. Kyo went to the stairs, and saw Yuki standing there, glaring at him.

"What's your problem, Rat?" Kyo brushed by his cousin without getting an answer, besides a deeper scowl.

---

Tohru smiled as she carried the bag of groceries in her arms. "The sky is beautiful, isn't it? And it smells so nice after it rains!"

Kyo grunted in return. "I'm just glad it isn't raining now." He had an umbrella leaning against his shoulder, just in case. Tohru couldn't find hers when they left, so Kyo had said they could share one if the rain came back. Now, he kept eyeing the sky suspiciously, watching for telltale clouds.

"I'm really glad you invited me, Kyo!" Tohru's grin brought him back to Earth. "It was fun being able to spend this time with you!"

"I had fun too, Tohru," he answered honestly. "And if you want, we could spend more time together, whenever you want. We could go shopping, or to a park, or movie… or just be together. I think it would be fun." Kyo gave Tohru one of his rare, gentle smiles. "I'd like to spend more time with you."

Tohru blushed. "That… sounds like fun, Kyo."

Kyo blushed, too, and looked down at the ground. "So… do you want to go to a movie with me, on Saturday? I know you don't have much money, but I can pay for you." He looks at her sideways and smiled again, more shyly. "It could be… a date… if you want."

Tohru was surprised for a moment, but quickly smiled happily. "Yes, I would like to go on a date with you, Kyo!"

"G… good." Kyo looked back at the ground, blushing furiously. Suddenly he felt a raindrop, and looked up at the sky just in time to see a single cloud bursting into rain. "Tohru, under the umbrella, now!" He grabbed her and pulled her under the umbrella, and suddenly realized a key factor in sharing the cover - to keep her close enough to keep them both warm, he'd have to hold her. A sudden puff of smoke dissipated, revealing Kyo in his cat form.

"K- Kyo!" Tohru was caught by surprise, but quickly recovered and started to laugh. "Sorry for this, but it looks like I'll have to carry you home!" She packed the fallen clothes into the bag with the groceries, then skillfully held that bag in her arm while holding the umbrella in the same hand. She then reached for the cat, who backed away from her hand. "Come on, I don't mind! We'll get home that much faster, and I promise nobody will see us." At these words, Kyo allowed Tohru to scoop him into her free arm. She began to run the rest of the way home, pausing just far enough from the house for Kyo to transform and redress. She offered him the umbrella, but he pushed it away.

"We've already decided we can't both stand under it, and no respectable man would make a lady walk in the rain. Besides, you've got to carry the groceries, and we don't want them getting wet."

"O- okay. Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"I'll be fine, just go!" They both ran to the house, Kyo sprinting to get out of the rain, Tohru doing her best to keep the groceries dry. As they both collapsed, panting, just inside, Tohru couldn't help but start laughing. Kyo looked at her in wonderment. "Wha…? Are you okay?" Tohru didn't have the breath to respond, between panting and laughing. Kyo began to chuckle as well, then to laugh harder. "Why… are we laughing?" he asked, when he could breathe.

"I don't know," Tohru responded, just as breathlessly. "And that's part of the reason!" This sent them into a new round of laughter, so that neither noticed Yuki watching from the stairs. If they had, they might have noticed the clouded look on his face. He quickly turned and retreated upstairs. Tohru caught her breath and started to stand, picking up the things she had dropped. "Well," she panted, "I guess I'd better put these groceries away."

Kyo stood, also. "Here," he offered, "let me help." He smiled at Tohru as he took the bag of groceries from her, and they chattered carelessly as they put the dishes away. Tohru couldn't help but notice that Kyo was being much more open than usual. She was happy to see this side of him, and hoped to see more of it in the future.

---

And see it she did. After the movies, Kyo invited Tohru to a park. Then to a play. Then shopping. Then just a walk. They continued to spend more and more time alone together, but at the same time, Tohru was still spending a good deal of time with Yuki. This became more and more aggravating to Kyo, as he wanted to know exactly how the girl felt about him. It took almost two months from the first date to work up the nerve to ask her. They were outside, doing homework together, when he finally blurted it out.

"Tohru, do you... do you like me?" After spitting out the words, he couldn't make eye contact. Slowly, though, he began to raise his eyes, to see a very surprised looking Tohru.

"Of course I like you, Kyo!" The Cat's heart began to rise, but then plummeted at her next words. "I like you, and Yuki, and Shigure! I'm so grateful to all of you!"

Kyo headbanged the table they were working at. "Not… what I meant." He got up and swiftly moved closer to Tohru, taking something out of his pocket. "Tohru, would you consider… being my girlfriend?" He held up a small beaded bracelet, matching his own, with a cat charm attached to it. Tohru's hands flew to her face.

"Kyo, I…"

The boy looked away. "Look, if you don't like it, or don't want it, you can tell me. I can take it." _There's always Kagura. _A gentle hand lifted his chin to look back at Tohru, who was smiling gently.

"Kyo, I'm honored that you asked me. And I love the bracelet. And I would love to be your girlfriend." Tohru held out her hand, and Kyo stared at it for a moment before slipping the bracelet onto her wrist. He suddenly reached out and hugged her as tight as he could before turning into a cat. Tohru held him for a long moment, stroking his fur as he purred in contentment.

_She said yes… she said yes!_

---

At dinner, of course, Shigure asked about Tohru's new bracelet, and she stutteringly explained. Yuki and Kyo were both strangely quiet for the rest of the meal. Shigure, however, congratulated the two, said something perverse (as usual), and insisted that they order a cake for dessert to celebrate. He did not, however, stop Tohru from doing the dishes after dinner. After she disappeared into the kitchen, the three Sohmas remained at the table until Yuki stood up and started for the stairs. Shigure looked up at him. "Leaving without a word, Yuki?"

"I'm… not feeling very well." _I want to hit him. I want to punch him so hard, but I can't. Not if it would upset Tohru._

"What's the matter with you, damn Rat?" Kyo asked from the table. Yuki lost his self-control for a moment, spinning and starting to send an open hand towards the Cat's head. He stopped himself just before making contact.

"Kyo…" _What do I say? I can't congratulate him - I'm not happy for him. I don't need to tell him not to hurt her - he knows that. He knows how stupid it would be._ "…I guess you've finally won."

"Huh?" Kyo cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"…Don't be stupid."

"Wha- WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!" Kyo shouted at his cousin's retreating back.

"I think he means," Shigure misinterpreted, "that the reason for his ire should be obvious, and if you weren't stupid you would know."

"I AM NOT STUPID!"

"Then you should know, should you not?"

Tohru came back from the kitchen. "I've ordered dessert! I hope everyone likes strawberry shortcake! Huh?" She looked at the empty spot at the table. "Where's Yuki?"

Shigure smiled down at the table. "He's not feeling well. Don't worry, Tohru. Yuki will be alright." _At least, I hope he will…_

---

It didn't take Yuki long to decide what to do. He couldn't remain in this house, watching those two be so happy together. However, he also couldn't go back to the Main House, and he had nowhere else to go. He could only think of one suitable alternative. He stood over Tohru's bed late that night, watching her sleep briefly. Then, finally, he leaned over her. "Be happy," he whispered, before pulling the girl softly into an embrace. The smoke didn't wake her up, nor did his clothes falling to the floor. The rat scampered out of her room, down the stairs, and out into the rain.


	2. Rat Trap

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed my first chapter of this story! I really appreciate it, and it encouraged me to get going on chapter 2! (I hope you didn't think it was over already!) To those of you who feel bad for Yuki, don't worry, things will get better for him. But not before they get worse! Dun dun DUUUNNNN! Anyway, thanks again for reading, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

-----

"KYAAAAA!" Tohru's scream rang through the Sohma house early in the morning. Within seconds, Kyo was in her room.

"Tohru! What's wrong?! Huh?" His eyes took in the scene in front of him. Tohru was sitting up in her bed, looking around in a panic. On the floor by her bed lay Yuki's clothes.

"I- I- I just woke up and these clothes were here!" The girl looked dazed. "Am I still dreaming?"

"I don't think so," Shigure answered as he came up behind Kyo and entered the room. "I think that scream would wake the dead! Hmm…" He bent down and lifted a shirt from the ground. He sniffed it. "Definitely Yuki's."

"Wha- WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU WEIRDO?" Kyo yelled.

"Hm?" Shigure looked up at the carrot top. "Well I am a dog, after all. It's not that weird, is it?"

"But…" Both boys looked up at Tohru. "Does this mean Yuki's running around here as a rat? Or… or naked?"

Shigure shook his head. "I don't think so. If he were in the house, or on the premises, he would be in here now."

"Or hiding in his room, like a coward, knowing that we've all seen his clothes in here," Kyo growled. With that thought, he ran to investigate the Rat's room, throwing open the door. "Hey, you damn Rat-! Wha?" The entire room was in pristine order. The bed hadn't been slept in. Shigure and Tohru appeared behind Kyo, peering over his shoulders.

"He's not here…" Tohru murmured.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Shigure said in a singing voice, earning him a blow to the head from her new boyfriend. He sobered up quickly and went to inspect Yuki's drawers.

"What are you doing now?" Kyo asked, exasperated.

"His clothes are all here. His books, too. He didn't take anything with him, and didn't bother to pretend he had."

"W- where is he?" Tohru asked worriedly. Shigure lifted his face and sniffed, looking this way and that.

"He hasn't been here all night," he answered. "He's not even in the house. He's run away."

"WHAAAAA?!" Tohru began looking around frantically, as if Yuki would suddenly appear if she kept looking. "Where did he go?!"

"I don't know," Shigure replied. "He must have become a rat before he left, though. That would explain the clothes in Tohru's room."

Just as he finished saying this, there was a loud crack of thunder outside. Tohru screamed and clutched Kyo without thinking. He immediately transformed, but Tohru paid him no attention. She ran to the window, and the cat quickly followed, stretching up to rest his paws on the windowsill. "Th- this is awful!" the girl cried as a sudden downpour began. "Will he be alright? Where would he have gone?"

"Well, if he turned into a rat, then he probably wasn't planning on being found," Kyo replied. "And there's no way he would have gone back to the Main House."

"At the same time, though," Shigure added as he joined them at the window, "I don't think Yuki's quite brave enough to leave the city alone."

"But what if he gets hurt?" Tohru worried. "Or what if he transforms back and someone sees him?"

"In this weather? I don't think he'll transform back," Kyo answered. "He'll more likely get sick and stay as a rat."

Shigure frowned. "That'll certainly make him harder to find. Still, I'll give it my best shot. Tohru, if you don't mind?"

"Huh?" Tohru turned to Shigure just as he embraced her. "WHA?!" She froze, and Kyo transformed back into a human and punched the Dog, then quickly donned Shigure's fallen clothes as the smoke dissipated.

"What are you thinking?" he yelled. "It was bad enough when you hit on her before she was my girlfriend!"

"I wasn't hitting on her, I promise!" Shigure protested. "I can smell better this way, and it'll be easier to find Yuki!"

"I'll help you!" Tohru cried, but Shigure shook his head.

"No, you and Kyo still have to go to school. I can find Yuki on my own." _At least, I hope I can. Either way, I don't think he'd want to see Tohru or Kyo right now. _

"Ah- School! We're going to be late!" Tohru ran back to her room, and quickly returned in uniform, holding her backpack. "Good luck, Shigure! I really hope you can find Yuki!"

"Don't worry about me. You two had better be on your way."

"Right!" Tohru hurried out the door, smiling and waving back to Shigure. Kyo followed behind, complaining.

"Slow down, I can't run in this rain!"

---

Tohru sat at her desk, her head resting on her hand, gazing out the window at the rain. _I hope Yuki and Shigure are alright. I hope Shigure finds him. I hope he isn't hurt. I hope-_

"Hey, Tohru, are you alright?" Uo and Hana stood over her desk. "You've been sitting there for five minutes. School's out, let's go!"

"Don't you have work tonight?" Hana asked.

"Oh, no, not tonight." Tohru stood up quickly and rubber her head. "Sorry for that! The last couple of days have been kind of busy, I guess."

"Oh?" Uo raised her eyebrows. "What's happened?"

"Well, ah…"

"Does it have something to do with that new bracelet?" Hanajima questioned her. Tohru nodded happily.

"Yep! It's from Kyo! He gave it to me when he asked me to go out with him!"

"What?!" her friends chorused.

"You mean Orange-y asked you to go steady?!"

"You mean you finally picked one?"

"Wow, the bracelet does match his perfectly! And it's got a cute little cat charm on it! He really is a cat person, isn't he?" Uo noted. Tohru froze.

"Ah- cat person, how…?"

"Yes," Hana said in her gentle voice, "he does seem to like cats an awful lot."

"Oh…" Tohru relaxed. "Of course!"

"I hope this doesn't mean…" Hana took her friend's hand. "You won't be getting married any time soon, will you, Tohru?" She had a sudden vision of her dear friend in a wedding dress, and herself and Uo in bridesmaids dresses.

"Ah- no! Of course not! He only asked yesterday!" Tohru replied, flustered.

"Is that why the Prince wasn't here?" Uo asked.

"Huh?" Tohru and Hana looked at their friend.

"The Prince wasn't in school today. Did he take the news badly?"

"News…?" Tohru looked confused, then crestfallen. "That's right… that's the other thing. Yuki… he disappeared this morning. We don't know where he's gone, or if he'll return. Shigure was supposed to look for him today." _I hope he found him. Maybe they'll both be waiting for us when Kyo and I get home._

"No way! Really? Pretty boy ran away?"Uo looked shocked. Tohru nodded sadly. Hana put an arm around her.

"Don't worry, Tohru. I'm sure he'll return soon."

"He better have a good excuse for worrying our Tohru, though," Uo put in, cracking her knuckles.

"Hey, Tohru!" The girls looked up to see Kyo standing in the doorway. Haru was next to him, and Momiji was hanging on him. Kyo looked ready to kill someone. "You ready to go?"

"One minute, Orangey," Uo interjected as she and Hana each put a hand around Tohru. "Listen up, and listen good. You better take care of our Tohru… _or else,_" she finished, lowering her voice threateningly.

"Tohru, Tohru, come on!" Momiji bounced forward and grabbed her arm, pulling her over to Kyo before he could argue with Uo. "We're going out to celebrate!" He made a peace sign at her other friends. "Sohmas and Tohru only, soo-rryy!" he sang. He continued pulling Tohru's arm as the other Sohmas followed. They ended up sitting in a nice restaurant, which Tohru knew was fairly expensive.

"I don't know about this," she protested. "This place is kinda pricey, and I don't have much money, so…"

"Don't worry, Tohru." Haru placed a hand on her shoulder. "You and Kyo are dating now, so he'll pay for you."

"Yep!" Momiji agreed brightly. "And since he's older, he can pay for Haru and me too!"

"Now wait a minute!" Kyo interjected angrily. "Who said I was paying for anyone? I mean yeah, I'll pay for Tohru, but I'm not paying for you brats!"

"Kyo…" The Cat looked up to see Haru suddenly looming over him ominously. "You're paying. For everyone."

Tohru looked from one Sohma to another, trying to figure out what she could do. "Kyo… don't let Haru turn black!" It was halfway between warning and begging. Kyo looked at her and saw the worry in her eyes, and gave an exasperated sigh.

"Tohru, you worry too much," he complained as he sank into his seat. "Fine, lunch is on me, but you better not order anything too expensive!"

They sat there for an hour, laughing and eating. As they were getting ready to go, Momiji suddenly sobered up. "You know, Haru saw Shigure today."

Kyo and Tohru looked up in surprise. Tohru looked at Haru. "Did he tell you…?"

Haru nodded. "Momiji and I got separated on the way to school, so I… um…" he trailed off, but no one needed him to fill in that he was lost. "Anyway, that doesn't matter. I saw him in his dog form, but it had stopped raining, and he was afraid of transforming back so he had to go home. He couldn't find Yuki anyway; the rain had washed away his scent. We're gonna have to keep trying."

Momiji stood at his cousin's shoulder. "We're gonna tell everyone in the Zodiac, except Akito, to keep a look out! So, don't worry, kay? We're still gonna find him!"

As they bid each other goodbye, Tohru couldn't help feeling worried inside. The longer Yuki was outside, the more chance there was of him being discovered.

---

Hana walked slowly from the train station to her house. She was thinking about what Tohru had said, about Yuki having run away. _That doesn't sound like Yuki. And Tohru seemed to have no idea that he loves her as much as Kyo. _Hana sighed, but couldn't help smiling at her friend's innocence. As she neared her house, she suddenly stopped short and looked at some bushes by the side of the road, where her brother was crouching. She quickly crossed to her brother's side and crouched down next to him. "What is it, Megumi?"

The boy looked up at his older sister. "There's a rat here. It seems to be unconscious. I was just trying to decide what to do with it." Hana looked under the bush and saw the small animal. Frowning, she carefully reached out and picked up the rat. Holding it closely, she could barely see its chest moving. Megumi continued, "I feel bad leaving it here. It could die. I feel like we should help it."

Hana nodded, and continued to examine the rat. "Yes. We should take him in and see if we can nurse him back to health." She rose and took her brother's hand. "Let's go inside now and find him a cage."

---

Yuki gave a small moan. As he began to come to, the first thing he was aware of was acute hunger. _Food… I could really use one of Tohru's homecooked meals now. _He winced as he imagined her at home now, cooking something to eat with Kyo. He shook his head. _Well, I still appear to be a rat. It's probably because I haven't eaten since dinner last night, and because I've been in the rain all day. I wonder if I'll get sick. At least that'll help me stay out of sight. I can't be around that house right now. _As his senses came back, he realized that he was actually warm and dry. He opened his eyes slowly, and was shocked to see bars in front of him. _Am I in jail?! Why would they throw a rat in jail?! No, wait… this is a cage. But still, where am I? Who put me in a cage? Kyo? Tohru? _He started to shiver. _Not Akito… please, don't let Akito know!_

"Are you awake, little rat?" A soft voice interrupted his thoughts. "Look, Megumi. It looks like he's feeling better." Yuki peered out of his cage and saw Hana standing at the door of the room she was in. A young boy who looked like a younger male version of her came to her side, then stepped into the room and knelt to peer into the cage.

"Do you think Mom and Dad will let us keep him?" he asked.

"I hope so." Hana knelt next to her brother. Yuki tried to back away from them, feeling nervous, but he found he was too weak to even push himself back. Hana pointed to a corner of his cage. "You should eat something," she urged gently. Yuki looked over and saw food sitting in the cage - it looked like table scraps. He laid his head back down sadly.

"Hana," said the little boy - what had she called him? Megumi? - "if we're going to keep him, we should name him."

Hana nodded. "We should give him a name to make him feel better. Maybe… Little Prince?"

Megumi nodded. "He does seem very well groomed."

"Well then. Goodnight for now, Little Prince." Hana and her brother rose. "We'll be taking care of you for a long, long time."

"Hana," Megumi questioned as they left the room, "what if Mom and Dad don't allow it?"

"Don't worry," Yuki heard her answer. "I'm sure I can convince them." The rat was left shaking in his cage. _Now what? I'm trapped here, and I can't transform - for one thing, I'll be seen, and for another, this cage is far too small. _He looked over at his food again, then weakly pulled himself over and pushed the food out of the cage. _My only hope is to stay as a rat. I shouldn't eat anything - I can't get too strong. _He lay down his head, hoping he was only having a nightmare and would wake up soon.


	3. Hana Doolittle

Sorry for the long wait -- I really meant to get a lot done over break, but that was before my computer power adapter died. I could only use my computer for two hours at a time, and charge it every few days... it was pretty bad. But now I'm getting a new adapter... and starting new classes, so I don't know how long this will really take. But I am working on it!

The title for this chapter was inspired because Dr. Doolittle talks to animals and... well... you'll see! (It's not that hard to figure out, though, is it?) What can I say, I thought of it as I was uploading the chapter. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

"Please eat something, Little Prince," Hana pleaded gently. She sat on the floor with the new cage in her lap. After they had seen the food the rat pushed out of the cage the night before, she and her brother had bought a new one with solid plastic walls. Still, their pet seemed intent on not eating. "We're all worried about you. You're too weak to survive on your own." She lifted the cage up so that she was eye-to-eye with the lethargic rat. "Would it help if I promised to let you go once you're strong enough?"

Yuki raised his head. _Let me go? Yes! That would be wonderful!_

Hana seemed to read his thoughts. "Alright then, it's a deal. But then you must eat, Little Prince." She opened the top of his cage and sprinkled in some cheese. Yuki immediately began to eat it. Hana smiled. "Good boy. I have to go to school now, but I'll bring you more food tonight." She rose and swept out of the room.

Yuki felt relieved as he watched her go, but soon his stomach began to twist. _I have to be strong enough for her to let me go, but too weak to transform… this could be harder than I thought._

---

When Hana entered the classroom, she immediately spotted Uo hovering over Tohru concernedly. The latter girl had her head down on her desk. Hana crossed over quickly. "Tohru, are you alright?"

The brown-haired girl lifted her head a bit to smile as brightly as she could at her friend, but Hana could see signs of exhaustion on her face. "Oh, I'm fine! Don't worry about me!"

Uo gave an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, she's fine, except for the fact that she didn't sleep all night."

Tohru lay her chin back on her hands, and let a look of worry cloud her face. "Yuki's not back yet. We've been looking, but we couldn't find him. And…" She was struck with a sudden inspiration, and sat up straight. "And we lost our new pet rat, too!" She blushed. "I know it's probably dumb to be worrying about that, but we would like the rat back."

"What kind of rat?" Hana asked. _Could it be…?_ "Does he have a name?"

"Um, a little white one, and we haven't had a chance to name him yet."

"Mm." Hana nodded. "Then we can't try calling for him. I was just wondering."

"Hey." Kyo suddenly loomed over Tohru's desk. "You. Clinic. Now. You need sleep."

"N-no! I'm fine!" she protested. "I can't miss class!"

"Look…" Kyo took his girlfriend's arm and pulled her to her feet. "I can help you make up anything you miss." Before he could say anything else, Tohru wavered on her feet and started to fall. Kyo reached out instinctually, but fortunately she fell towards Hana, who was able to catch her. _That was close, _he thought. "You see? You'll probably sleep through the lesson either way. The difference is doing it here and getting in trouble, or in the clinic and be excused," he pointed out as she and Hana rose.

Tohru hung her head in defeat. "Alright, I'll go." She took a shaky step, then Kyo put his hands on her shoulders.

"Here, let me help." He guided her out of the room, careful to support her without holding her too closely. "By the way," he added when they got into the hall, "good job thinking on your feet in there."

"What?" Tohru looked at him, confused.

"When you told them about the rat. And him not having a name. That was good."

"Oh… thanks. I just thought, if they could find him as a boy or a rat…"

"I know. It was a good idea."

"And then I didn't know what to say for his name-"

"Relax, okay? I told you you did well."

"…Okay. Thanks, Kyo." Tohru blushed happily.

Back in the room, Uo and Hana watched them go.

"He's really different when he's with her, you know?" Uo commented.

Instead of agreeing, Hana replied, "I think I found their rat."

"What?! Are you serious?" Uo looked at her friend, shocked. "Why didn't you say something?"

Hana sat down at her desk. "I think he's sick. I found him yesterday, and I was only able to get him to eat this morning. I don't want to give him back in that condition - I'd like to nurse him back to health first."

Uo sat in her own desk, next to her friend. "So… are you going to tell her?"

Hana shook her head. "Not until he's ready. I'd have to explain why I'm keeping him, and she'd just worry more."

Uo nodded. "That's true. Need any help with him?"

"No, thank you. Megumi is helping me. I think the Little Prince will be better soon."

"Little Prince?"

"That's what we named him. It seemed to fit." Hana thought for a moment. "There's something strange about him, too. He's the first animal I've really been able to sense waves for."

"Oh yeah? What do you think it means?"

"I don't know." Hana looked up at the ceiling. "Maybe I'm just progressing. I'm not sure. But I'd like to spend more time trying to figure it out."

"Sounds cool. Let me know when I can come over and check it out."

---

Hana smiled into the cage. "You look so much stronger already!" She pulled out some homework. She had moved the cage to her desk so that she could keep a closer eye on the new pet, and monitor his health. "You know," she commented offhandedly, "my friend Tohru said today that she had lost a pet rat. Her description sounded just like you." She glanced back to see the rat looking up attentively. "Don't worry. I'm not taking you back there… yet." She leaned back, forgetting her homework for the moment. "Though I can't imagine why anyone would want to run away from there, let alone both you and Yuki. Tohru's so worried, about both of you. Especially Yuki." A glance at the rat showed him looking guilty. "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll find them both. Who knows… maybe they're even hiding together."

Yuki looked up at Hana worriedly, but she was staring off into space. Her head rested gently on one hand, and she seemed to be thinking. Her homework lay forgotten on the desk. After a moment she glanced down at Yuki.

"You don't mind if I talk to you, do you, Little Prince?" Yuki almost shook his head, but caught himself.

_You idiot… don't act too human! You're a rat, remember? _He settled for looking up at the girl. She smiled.

"This Yuki… girls at school call him Prince. He's really beautiful. And kind, too. When Tohru first moved in with him, it was wonderful to see the two of them together. They both looked so happy." Hana leaned back, looking up towards the ceiling. "He was so good to her. For a while, Uo and I really thought we would lose her to him. Then his cousin showed up, and things changed. He was so loud, and crude, but somehow even he became friends with Tohru. When the two of them were alone, he showed a much softer side. She was good for him, and he was good to her."

Hearing these words, Yuki couldn't help but look away. He squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to think about Kyo and Tohru together. Hana continued talking. "But when he and Yuki were together things were different. It was like yin and yang with those two. If either one was just with Tohru, their good side shone through, but as soon as the other showed up, both boys completely changed personality. It was almost funny, watching them." The rat looked up at her sharply. _Funny?_ When she laughed, it took him by surprise. "Tohru's so sweet, but she's so dense and naïve. She didn't realize they were both in love with her. I don't think she knew Kyo loved her until he finally got her alone to ask her out. Of course, everyone else could tell. They both seemed to think they hid it so well, but we all knew - everyone but Tohru."

Yuki put his head down on his paws, his eyes closed. _Was it that obvious? Did everyone really know?_

"You know, I think that's why Yuki ran away. I think I understand. He had truly deep feelings for Tohru, but now she's dating someone else. I believe he couldn't stand it. I think he left to get away from the pain."

Yuki looked up again, his eyes moist. How did she understand so well?

"But I don't think Tohru knows that. Imagine her worry - how frantic she must feel. Yuki is one of her best friends, and now he's disappeared and she doesn't know why." The rat closed his eyes - he had never seen a real rat cry, and didn't want to blow his cover now. Still, Hana's words hit him hard. He hadn't thought about how Tohru must be feeling.

"It's strange, though," Hana mused, not looking at the rat. "I really always thought she would choose Yuki." She gave a small smile. "Of course, it made sense - all of her friends consider Tohru a princess, so it seemed natural for her to end up with the Prince. It used to make me sad, though, to think about that." Suddenly the girl's eyes went wide for a moment, and she seemed to snap out of a reverie. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "But listen to me, prattling on about this." She leaned her head on a hand again and finally looked back at Yuki. "It helps to have someone to talk to. Thank you for listening, Little Prince."

Yuki looked up at the girl, and decided to show her that he didn't mind. _What can I do for her? As far as she knows, I'm just a rat._ He looked around his cage and noticed some vegetables in a corner. He scampered over to eat them in a show of good spirit. When he looked back at Hana, she was smiling.

"I'm glad to see your appetite has returned, Little Prince. Hopefully you'll be as good as new in no time." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe tomorrow I'll bring Arisa to meet you. I think you'd like her."

Yuki's heart sank. _As if it weren't hard enough keeping up appearances in front of one of them… now I'll have both to deal with! What have I gotten myself into?_


	4. Revelations

Wow… so I'm working my way through the manga, and I just finished number 18 and read the preview for the next volume… it sounds a lot like this story, haha! I guess I'm either psychic or not actually creative. Ah well… now I have to finish this story before I read the next volume so that I'm not influenced!

I did start this story before I'd read more than a few volumes of the manga, so let's see how close I got!

------------

"In here, Arisa." Hana led the way into her room. Her friend had come with her after school to meet the rat that may or may not have been Tohru's.

"So that's him, huh?" She bent down to look in the cage. The rat seemed to be asleep, his head tucked under an arm. "What makes you think he's Tohru's rat and not some sewer rat?"

"We can test it, if you like." Hana stood by the doorway, looking out into the hall. "Tohru, are you coming?" Uo turned back in surprise.

"What are you-" Hana put a finger to her lips, and pointed back to the cage. Uo looked back and was surprised to see the Little Prince huddling in a corner. Hana walked over and knelt next to her friend.

"I'm sorry, Little Prince. I just wanted to see how you would react if you thought Tohru was coming. I haven't forgotten our deal, although you do look better today."

Uo was looking from the rat to Hana in disbelief. "You have a deal with the rat? You mean he can actually understand you?"

Hana nodded. "He seems very… human. It's rather odd. I promised him I would let him go, but not until he's strong enough. Right, Little Prince?"

Yuki's heart was racing. He didn't want to see Tohru right now… although she might be able to help him. Still, he had run away for a reason. He wasn't ready to go back. As he began to calm down, he slowly uncurled and crawled back towards the front of the cage. Hana lifted off the lid and reached down to place some food. As Yuki began to eat, he noticed that he really was feeling stronger than he had.

"Well, he's a good-looking rat. If he weren't Tohru's, he'd probably make a good pet here," Uo commented. Hana shook her head.

"Even to a rat, a promise is a promise. I can't keep him. Although," she added sadly, "Megumi and I would both like to." She started stroking the Little Prince's hair.

Yuki swallowed a mouthful of food, and froze. He felt stronger already - too strong. He felt like he could transform at any moment. _Now what? With both of them here, I can't… I can't! What do I do? _He looked around frantically for a moment, and then was struck with inspiration. He turned and climbed onto Hanajima's hand, bolting up her forearm into the crook of her arm.

"Oh!" Hana was taken by surprise. "He's never done that before." Yuki gave a tiny sigh of relief as she folded her arms into what he hoped counted as an embrace.

"Poor fella looks scared," Uo noted. "Maybe it's because I'm here." She leaned close to the rat in Hana's arms. "Hey, Little Prince, do I look scary to you?"

Yuki decided to respond by retreating further into Hana's arms. The dark-haired girl smiled. "No need to worry, Little Prince. Arisa won't hurt you."

Uo folded her arms, mocking offense. "I don't care. He's just a rat. He doesn't have to like me."

Yuki held back a chuckle, then scurried quickly from Hana's arms to nestle in Uo's. The girls both gave surprised exclamations, then laughed. Yuki had another idea to weaken himself. He spent the nexy few minutes running from one girl to the next, trying to trick them. He would appear to start running, then settle back down. He would turn around halfway and run back to the girl he had just left. Sometimes he would even turn around several times, only to dart under a bed or desk rather than run to either girl. After playing this game for a while, he plopped down in the middle of the floor, thoroughly exhausted and pleased with himself. The girls laughed as Hana scooped him up, gave him one last small hug, and deposited him gently in his cage.

"I'm so glad to see you've found some energy, Little Prince." She smiled at him happily. The two girls then moved to sit on Hana's bed, where Hana began braiding Uo's hair. "I do hope he's Tohru's. I'd really like to continue seeing him," she commented.

Uo shrugged. "The way he was just acting, he might not want to be let go. Who knows, maybe Tohru will find her rat under the bed and you can keep the Little Prince." She laughed. "Maybe they can have playdates! Do rats have playdates?"

"I really do hope they find Yuki, though. I worry about him."

Uo twisted as much as she could to look back at her friend. "Why are you so worried about him?"

Hana was silent for a moment as she braided her friend's hair. Finally she took a deep breath. "Do you remember when Tohru and Yuki first became friends, and we thought she would leave us for him?"

"Yeah, of course," Uo replied, surprised. "I remember you taking it even harder than I did. You'd get really quiet whenever he was around. You really acted like you disliked him."

"Did I?" Hana gave a small grin. "Really, it was just the opposite. I had a crush on Yuki."

"What?!" Uo tried to turn to look at her friend, and yelped when the attempt resulted in her hair being pulled. Yuki also looked up in shock, but neither of the girls seemed to notice. "You mean you of all people had a crush on him, of all people?"

Hana couldn't help chuckling at her friend's reaction. "I didn't, at first, and then it took me a while to realize it, of course. When he became good friends with Tohru, I started to see him more as a person, and less as a lone wolf. At first I thought I was just jealous of him because he seemed to be stealing Tohru away, but then… then I realized I was jealous of her." Hana laughed softly, but it was a sad laugh. "Can you imagine, being jealous of Tohru?"

Uo shook her head. "It does seem weird. Still, I never guessed you had a crush on Prince Charming, Hana."

Yuki had never guessed it, either. His exhaustion gave way to tingles down his spine as he listened intently.

"I tried to hide it. I knew I was being foolish. Tohru was happy, and I would not be the one to take that away from her. Besides, it was only through her relationship with him that I saw the qualities I grew to admire in him. Still, I suppose that explains why I made an extra effort after that to drive off the girls of his fan club - if I couldn't have Yuki, I wanted Tohru to have him." She tied off her friend's hair, and Uo immediately turned around excitedly.

"Yeah, but now Tohru's going out with Kyo and you can sweep in to comfort the Prince and make him fall in love with you!" Uo grabbed her friend's hands as Hana laughed.

"Perhaps. Perhaps it won't be that easy. In any case, we'd have to find him first."

"Right!" Uo stood suddenly and pulled her friend to her feet. "Let's go look for him! YOO-HOO! YUKI!" she cried, pulling Hana out of the room, as if she believed that wherever Yuki was, he could hear them then.

Yuki's head was swimming with confusion. _Hana had a crush on me? For how long?_ He shook his head. _Getting close to Tohru is risky enough. I can't bring in another outsider. I'm sorry, Hanajima. _He looked up and noticed that the lid of the cage was loose. _Maybe I can escape while she's out. It would be better for both of us. _Suddenly, he heard her voice out in the hall.

"Just a moment, Arisa, I promise. I just want to make sure the Little Prince's cage is secure so he doesn't run away." Yuki's heart sank as Hana came back into the room and adjusted the lid, locking him in again. "Sorry, Little Prince, I just don't want to lose you." She strode back to the doorway and stopped, looking over her shoulder. Just before sweeping out of view, she commented, "I hope you don't mind what I told Arisa earlier. I hope it wasn't too bold of me to speak like that in front of you… Yuki."


	5. Rat's Out of the Bag

Yuki sat shaking in his cage, Hana's last words resonating in his ears. He hadn't moved since the girls had left, and had long since lost track of time. Only one _thought_ ran around in his head. _She knows it's me. She knows it's me? How did she know? How did she find out? How long has she known? _He couldn't imagine an answer to these or any other questions along the same vein. All he knew was that it was too late to escape, and that Hana would likely lose her memory. He just had to stop her from telling anyone else what she knew.

It was dark when Hana finally returned home. To Yuki's relief, she was alone. She barely glanced at him as she crossed the room and collapsed on her bed. "Uo really didn't want to give up," she sighed to herself. "I'm so tired…" She stretched with a groan.

Yuki felt his heart beating hard. He swallowed and crawled to a small pile of woodchips he had made earlier. By standing on top of this pile, he could reach the top of the cage, and had managed to push it loose. He stuck his paws out and wrapped them around the top of the cage, pulling himself up so that his head could peep out. He hadn't wanted to risk this before, fearing it would make him appear abnormally talented for a rat. He had wanted to play it safe as much as possible. Now, he knew that didn't matter anymore. He stuck his head out as far as he could, and looked over at Hana. "How did you know it was me?"

Hana sat up quickly on her bed. "Who's there?" Her hand groped along the wall until it found a light switch. Bright light flooded the room as she flipped it. She looked around wildly for a moment before spotting Yuki hanging half out of his cage. "Little Prince! How did you get out?" She hurried over to scoop the rat up into her cupped hands.

Yuki looked up into the girl's eyes. "Hana… you know who I really am, don't you?"

Hana's eyes widened. "You can still talk?" Yuki nodded. Hana set him down on the floor, where he stood on his hind legs. She sank down to sit next to him, her legs folded to the side, supporting herself with one arm. "Yuki… how did this happen?"

"I'll tell you what I can," Yuki answered, "but first I need to know what you know. How long have you known about me? How did you find out?"

"I've known all along. I knew it was you before I even saw you," Hana replied.

Yuki's eyes widened in shock at this news. "How is that possible?"

Hana laughed nervously. "Remember who you're talking to. That day I found you, I felt your waves. I sensed you over near Megumi, but when I went to investigate, I wasn't expecting to find a rat. That's why I adopted you - I wanted to find out more, to give you a place to stay, and to shelter you. I wanted to take care of you until I could find a way to reverse whatever happened to you, and convince you to go back to Tohru."

"To… to Tohru?" Yuki's head was swimming with this new information. Hana nodded.

"She's been worried sick about you, Yuki. She hasn't been sleeping. She isn't dating Kyo to hurt you - she can't help who she loves." Yuki looked away, squeezing shut eyes that were stung by tears. Hana went on. "I'm sorry if this hurts you, but I feel you need to hear it. They make a good couple, Yuki. They would be very happy together, if Tohru weren't miserable right now."

Yuki shook away his tears and forced himself to look up at Hana. "She's really miserable?"

"Of course. Are you surprised? Tohru may not be dating you, but she does care deeply for you. I don't think she'll be truly happy until you are safely home."

Yuki put his front paws on his head. This was all so much to take in. The new information, combined with the stress of the last few days, made him feel dizzy. He felt guilty, and confused, and something else he couldn't put a name to.

Hana cried out as Yuki suddenly turned and sprinted for the closet. He squeezed quickly under the door as she climbed clumsily to her feet, caught off guard. "Is this how you deal with all of your problems?" she asked accusingly. "You run away and hide in a closet, or a bush?"

"It's not that," Yuki's muffled voice replied. "I-" He was interrupted by a sudden strange noise, and smoke poured out from under the closet door.

"Yuki! Are you alright? What happened?" Hana rushed forward and grabbed the closet door. She began to pull it open, but something held it shut. "Yuki? I can't open the door!"

"I know," came the muffled voice. "That's because I'm holding it closed. You see, I… don't exactly have clothes on right now."

Hana stepped back, confused. "You mean, you're…?"

"Hm. Do you mind if I borrow a dress? I don't like having to, but I don't have many other options right now."

"Ah- okay…" Hana agreed, still perplexed. There were rustling sounds from the closet. "Yuki, what happened in there? Are you still a rat, or are you-"

"I'm human again, yes," Yuki interrupted as he finally emerged from the closet.

A mixed feeling of shock, confusion and amusement surged through Hana as she saw him standing there, wearing her dress. She backed away slowly, stuttering as several thoughts fought to be expressed. "I- Wh- Y- Ahahhaha!" She finally burst into laughter as she sank back down on her bed. Yuki's face went beet red instantly.

"I, ah, would really appreciate it if you didn't mention this to anyone," he stammered.

Hana took a few deep breaths, trying to stop her laughter. "I… I won't, I promise!"

Before either of them could say anymore, there was a knock at the door. "Hana?" came Megumi's voice. "Are you alright?"

Hana sat straight up, taken by surprise. "I'm fine, Megumi!" _Don't let him come in… please, don't let him come in and see Yuki here, dressed like that!_

"Are you sure?" The door began to slide open. Hana panicked. _What can we say?_

"Yes, I- oh!" Hana was taken by surprise again as she felt Yuki suddenly embrace her. Another puff of smoke, and her clothes suddenly lay in a crumpled heap.

"You look pale, Hana. What's wrong? A moment ago you were laughing like a hyena."

"I - um-" Hana looked down and saw a small lump moving around in her dress. She let out a relieved laugh. "Oh! I feel so silly!" She forced the laugh to continue. "I just pulled out this dress to throw on top of Yu- ah, the Little Prince, and it was so funny watching him try to find his way out." The laugh became more genuine as she remembered the sight of Yuki in the dress. Megumi smiled at his sister.

"I see. I just heard strange noises and thought I would check on you."

Hana smiled back warmly. "Thank you, Megumi, I'm fine. If you don't mind, I think I'm going to get ready for bed soon."

Megumi nodded and quietly left the room. As soon as the door shut behind him, Hana breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was close," came a voice from below her. She started and looked down to see Yuki sitting on the floor, a rat once more. She shook her head, more than confused by this turn of events.

"Yuki, what's going on?"

The rat sighed. _I guess there's no way around it. _As yet another puff of smoke exploded, a hand grabbed for the discarded dress. "Would you mind turning around for a moment?" Hana nodded and obliged. "Thank you," Yuki said after dressing. "Now then, where to begin…"

He explained the curse to her, telling her how he had escaped the Sohma house, how sick he had been when she found him, and how he had managed to stay a rat all this time. After he finished, the room was silent while Hana searched for words. Finally she managed to form a complete thought.

"So Tohru knows about this curse?" Yuki nodded. "And are you the only one this happens to?"

"Ah…" Yuki stalled. He hadn't mentioned the Zodiac part of the curse, or the others who were afflicted. No reason to share more than she needed to know. As it turned out, he didn't need to finish. Hana was shaking her head, still trying to absorb this information.

"So what happens now? Will you go back home and pretend this never happened?"

"Well…" Yuki was very reluctant to get to this part. "I'm afraid it won't be quite that simple."

Hana looked up at him. He was standing in the middle of the room now, while she still sat on her bed. "You don't have to worry about me saying anything, you know. I won't even tell Tohru I know, if you don't want me to."

"I'm not sure that's enough. You see, it really isn't up to me. I may have to tell the head of my family."

"You mean Shigure?"

Yuki shook his head. "No, Akito," he said, almost to himself. He shook his head. "For now, I think we should call it a night. Tomorrow, while you're at school, leave the cage open. I'll go home and talk to Shigure about what to do next."

"But… I thought you said you had to talk to Akito?"

"I may have to. Shigure can help me decide that. Hopefully it won't come to that."

"Why not?"

Yuki smiled softly at Hana. "We'll come to that later. For now, we should rest. If you don't mind?"

Hana looked up at him curiously as he crossed to her side, then realized what he meant. "Oh! Of course." She rose and embraced the boy. After placing him in his cage and putting the dress away, she fell into bed and turned out the light, her head swimming. "Goodnight, Little Prince," she murmured absentmindedly as she drifted off to sleep.

---

The next day, the only time Hana saw Yuki was before she left for school in the morning. He asked her not to say anything to anyone, but to let him explain himself to Tohru and his cousins. Hana spent the day wondering what Yuki was doing, and who Akito was. She was tempted to ask Tohru or Kyo about it, but realized that would be breaking her promise to Yuki. When she returned home, Yuki was gone. She was impatient to find out what he ended up doing.

Tohru called excitedly that night.

"Yuki's back, Hana!"

"Oh, that's wonderful! Where has he been?" Hana feigned ignorance, curious as to what story Yuki had told.

"Well… he hasn't actually told us. He still seems a little upset by something, but I don't want to press him for details. I'm just so happy and relieved that he's back safe!"

"I'm sure you are. It really is wonderful, Tohru."

After a little more small talk, Tohru said goodbye and hung up. She turned and saw Yuki coming down the hall. "Oh, Yuki! What would you like for dinner tomorrow?"

"What?" The boy looked at her in surprise. Tohru smiled brightly.

"Well, I wanted to cook you something special to welcome you home!"

Yuki returned the girl's smile warmly. "Anything you can cook up will be a welcome dinner, Tohru. Thank you." He started to walk by her, then paused and looked over his shoulder. "By the way…" He turned to face her again. "I never congratulated you and Kyo. I hope you two are happy together. But if anything should go wrong, don't hesitate to ask for help or advice, okay?"

"Ah- okay!" Answered a bewildered Tohru. "Thank you, Yuki! Welcome back!" She waved as she ran down the hall to her room. Yuki turned and continued the way he had been going. He had a mission that he wasn't looking forward to.

---

The halls buzzed with excitement the next day. Word spread like wildfire that Yuki had returned to school. From the moment he stepped through the entrance, he was accosted by members of his fan club, and had to take extra caution to avoid them; their efforts to get near him had increased since he disappeared. He walked into his homeroom amidst cries of "Yuki, we love you! We missed you! Where were you?" and saw Hana sitting at her desk, still alone. He was relieved to see that Uo and Tohru weren't there yet. The psychic girl looked up and smiled as he approached.

"Welcome back, Little Prince," she said quietly.

"I'm trying not to be so little anymore," he responded. "Hana, would you mind meeting me after school? There's something we have to do about… about what happened."

Hana nodded. "May I tell Tohru?"

Yuki shook his head. "For now, I don't think Tohru should know. Just meet me a black away from school, at the little café; I'd rather no one saw us."

Hana looked down at her desk. "Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?"

"No, not at all," Yuki replied, surprised. "It's just that it would seem suspicious if we suddenly were seen spending time alone together, and I'd prefer not to raise questions. Besides," he added, putting a hand on his temple, "my fan club has a renewed interest in me since I ran off. They're more desperate than ever to keep me in sight, and it might cause problems for you if they saw us walking together."

Hana laughed gently. "Of course." She smiled up at Yuki. "At the café then, after school."

Yuki smiled gratefully. "I'll see you there."

---

True to their word, the two met at the café, from whence Yuki brought Hana to the Sohma estate, to Hatori's quarters. Hatori let them in, commenting, "I've been expecting you."

"Hatori… If I may, there's something I'd like to discuss with you before we begin." Yuki shot Hana a sidelong glance. "Privately."

"Certainly. Miss, if you don't mind waiting here?" Hatori led Yuki into an adjoining room, leaving Hana standing alone. She shivered - something about this place seemed wrong. She went to the window, trying to interest herself in the scenery, but she couldn't shake a strange feeling. She was sensing a wave that seemed… somehow, just not right. Finally, the door slid open, and the man Yuki had addressed as Hatori beckoned to her to join them. He looked grim, tense. When Hana entered the room, Yuki also seemed tense, but also determined.

"Please, kneel here," the man who looked like a doctor asked, motioning to the space in front of him as he knelt himself. As Hana settled herself down, the older man looked over at Yuki. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Yuki nodded. Was that a tremble of fear? Hana looked between the two Sohmas. "What's going on? What are we doing?"

Hatori looked back at her, taking her chin gently in one hand so that she would not look away. "The less you know, the easier this will be." He raised his free hand in front of her face.

"Someday, Hana, I hope I can explain more to you." Yuki's voice was quiet, as if coming from a distance, as Hana saw a flash of light, and then fell into darkness.


	6. Sorting It Out

A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is so short - I actually considered skipping it altogether, but decided it held some vital information that I didn't feel like throwing into the next chapter. It would have made things even more convoluted!

The next chapter will probably be the last one. I hope you all enjoy the end of the story, and thank you so much for reading and reviewing!

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Even with the bright light streaming through her window, Hana found it difficult to force her eyes open in the morning. Eventually she was able to separate her eyelids and begin the process of sitting up in bed. She pushed herself up on shaky arms, falling back once and almost twice. When she was finally upright, she slid back against her headboard so she wouldn't fall again, putting her fingers lightly to her temple. Her head was pounding, and her mind was a hopeless jumble of half-formed thoughts and memories. Trying to make sense of it was like trying to pick up and put together pieces of a film strip that had been chopped up, shuffled around, and thrown into a pile of mud. The problem was, some of the pieces had been stolen, and what remained barely formed a coherent story.

Had it been a dream? If so, it was a very strange one. Hana had an image of Yuki, standing in the middle of her room, wearing one of her dresses and telling stories. That couldn't have been real, could it? Hana sighed and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She placed her feet on the ground and tried to stand, then clutched at the bed again as her knees buckled. _Sick… I must be sick. _She climbed back into bed, her head swimming, vaguely disappointed that she was sick on a weekend and wouldn't miss school. She satisfied herself with trying again to piece together memories.

The part about the dress must have been a dream. Why would Yuki have been in her house, let alone in her room, let alone in her dress? None of it made any sense. Looking across the room, she saw the emptied out cage still sitting there. A memory swam groggily to the surface. A sick rat that had run away after she nursed it back to health… a rat named Little Prince. Perhaps she had confused him with Prince Charming from school? The dress still made no sense, but she wrote it off as an overly imaginative subconscious.

Still… she could clearly hear his voice; his stories didn't seem to have been told in a dream. A story about a Zodiac, and a boy who couldn't hug girls. It still made no sense to her, but it seemed too real to have been a dream. She thought harder. Had she spent any time alone with Yuki recently? Yes, of course; they had met at a café the night before. Here the memories got even fuzzier. She supposed this was where he had told her the story; and, strange as it seemed, she swore he had been telling her the truth, and that it was about Yuki himself.

_But that doesn't make sense at all! For Yuki to turn into a rat when hugged by a girl… it couldn't happen, could it? And if it could, why did he tell me? _Suddenly, Hana's hands flew to her face in embarrassment. Had she said something to him? She thought as hard as she could, and though it was a little hazy, she thought she remembered mentioning to him that she liked him. She buried her face in her hands, flushing red just thinking about it. _Why would I say that? Of course he's still smitten with Tohru! Even if she's taken, he wouldn't lower himself to be with me. I must have looked so stupid! He must have pitied me! _That explained it, then. Hana finished piecing together the memories as best she could. At some point in the last few days, she had lapsed into insanity long enough to confess her feelings to Yuki. He had then asked her to meet him at a café, where he had rejected her by means of a ridiculous story, one in which he couldn't hug any girl without turning into a rat. The story was too preposterous to be true, but at least he had tried to let her down gently.

She wasn't completely satisfied with this explanation. Too many pieces of the puzzle still seemed to be missing. Still, it made enough sense that Hana supposed this was what had happened. She lay back in bed with a sigh. There would be other boys. She had suppressed her feelings when she thought Tohru might like Yuki; she could do it again. Having sorted out her thoughts, Hana noticed that her head did not hurt as much. She lay back against the pillows, hoping that with time, and more sleep, things would make more sense.

----

Yuki sat at the desk in his room, tapping his pencil on the blank piece of paper in front of him. He was supposed to be writing an essay; instead, he was staring out the window with his chin propped in his hand. He couldn't get Hana out of his mind, and he didn't know why. He felt bad for erasing her memory, but it had had to be done. Truth be told, Hatori hadn't erased enough. Yuki had convinced him to leave just enough memories for the girl to piece together, in case someday Yuki returned her feelings. Right now his own emotions were too muddled; he had to stop pining after Tohru before he could allow himself to think of any other girl that way. Otherwise, he'd just be unfair to whatever girl he rebounded onto. He refused to let that happen.

Hatori had left Hana with the memory of the Zodiac. That was the riskiest part of it all. Had Yuki followed Akito's orders to the letter, all of her memories would have been erased, especially those concerning the Zodiac. However, Yuki was using a small loophole and praying that the head of the family would not find out. Her memory had been erased; just, not the whole thing.

Yuki bit his lip. _I'm sorry, Hana, Hatori. I may have gotten you both mixed in with too much. I'm not the only one at stake here. I just pray Akito will never know the truth._


	7. I Love You

A/N: This is it, the last chapter! I was going to have an endnote, but didn't want to spoil it, so I stuck one here instead. (And yes, I intended the abrupt ending.) If you have any final questions or comments, I'll try to address them as best I can! Thank you so much for sticking through this and for all the reviews I've gotten! Happy reading!

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All eyes were watching as Tohru and Kyo entered the reception. Everyone at the wedding agreed that they made a beautiful couple. They stepped in, arm and arm, as they were announced as Mr. and Mrs. Sohma. They strode gracefully across the dance floor. Kyo took his place next to Shigure, as Tohru settled next to Arisa. As she turned to face the way she had come, she took one hand off the bouquet of white and pink roses she was holding to smooth the flowing pink skirt of her halter dress. She and Arisa shared a smile as Kyo straightened the pink carnation pinned to his lapel. Tohru then turned to her husband, and with a soft smile he slipped his hand into hers as they both looked back towards the entrance. Megumi came in next, his suit and flower matching Kyo's and Shigure's. Holding his hand was a small, shy girl with dark brown hair and darker eyes. This child had a small white basket hanging over one arm; there were still a few pink and white petals clinging to the bottom. The girl clutched Megumi's hand as her frightened eyes swept over the crowd, finally settling on Tohru and Kyo in front of her. An adorable grin spread instantly over her face as she dropped Megumi's hand, and the basket, to run forward with her arms outstretched. A small laugh rippled through the onlookers as Megumi smiled and picked up the fallen basket, moving to stand on Shigure's other side. Kyo had already bent down and swiftly scooped the small child into his arms. Tohru smiled warmly at the two of them, knowing how much it meant to Kyo to be able to hold his daughter, even if it meant she was cursed like him. Tohru thought back to that day, three years ago, not long after their own wedding.

"_Tohru? We're home!" Kyo called as Yuki and Shigure entered behind him. Even though Kyo and Tohru had gotten married, the four still lived in Shigure's housed. Tohru ran out of the kitchen and clutched her husband's hands. They both started to speak at once, Tohru more excitedly, Kyo more subdued._

"_You'll never believe what we found out at the estate," he said, at the same moment she blurted, "You'll never believe what I found out today!" _

"_Akito's died."_

"_I'm pregnant!"_

_All was silent for a moment as they took in each other's news. Then, the men burst out excitedly for Tohru, who, flustered, insisted that they shouldn't be this happy when Akito had just died._

"_Not to worry, Tohru. Akito was very sick his whole life," Shigure assured her. "We can all have a little rest now, until the next head of the family is born. We should be celebrating! It's not every day a member of the Zodiac is able to have a child!"_

Nine months later, a baby girl had been born, delivered by Hatori. She was sick from the beginning, but nothing too threatening. All of the members of the Zodiac knew, somehow, without being able to explain how they knew, that this girl was Akito's replacement. Tohru and Kyo vowed to raise her to love, not to hate, as Akito had been raised. Her name was Hanako Airi Sohma.

Tohru's thoughts snapped back to the present as the speakers boomed, "And now, appearing for their first dance as a married couple, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Yuki Sohma!" Tohru and Arisa clapped loudly as Yuki and Hana swept into the room and began their first dance.

Yuki gazed lovingly into his new bride's eyes. His thoughts also went back to a day three years ago.

_Yuki sat nervously in the café, waiting for her to appear. Finally, the door opened and Hana stepped in. She glanced around and saw him sitting at a table. He hoped she wouldn't hear his heart beat as she approached. He was only even able to attempt to do this knowing that Akito was gone, and couldn't punish him for it._

"_You wanted to see me, Yuki?" Hana sat down across from him. Yuki nodded, swallowing a lump in his throat._

"_Do you remember when we were in high school, and you stopped speaking to me?" he questioned. Hana nodded slowly. "When I finally was able to speak to you again, you said you were ashamed, because you had expressed feelings for me that I didn't return. You told me you understood my need to make up a story. I told you I had been foolish when I told you that, and I still hoped to be friends."_

"_I remember all of that, Yuki." Hana smiled gently. "I even remember this as the place you told me that story."_

"_Yes, well…" Yuki gulped again. "If it isn't too late, I'd like a second chance."_

That had been the beginning. At first, Hana had been offended that he never hugged her, despite his assurances that he couldn't. She accused him of using an impossible excuse, fretted that he didn't really want to be with her, until finally one day at his house he proved it once and for all. Hana didn't scream and run away; she stayed with him, stopped arguing, and said yes when he later proposed. Ayame made the dresses, Tohru and Arisa served as co-bridesmaids, and now they were finally sharing their wedding dance. They rested their hands on each other gently, neither holding the other too close for fear something should happen - they wanted everyone to remember every moment of their wedding.

"My two girls!" Arisa wailed later as she, Tohru and Hana stood in a tight circle. "When is Ayame gonna make me a pretty white dress so you two can be my co-maids of honor?"

Hana laughed lightly. "I believe Shigure is still single."

Tohru squealed. "Could you imagine all being sisters and living together?" They all laughed, then actually pictured it, and laughed even louder.

"It wouldn't work, would it," Arisa conceded. The other two girls agreed.

"Congratulations, Yuki!" Momiji told his cousin. "Can I be the ring bearer at your next wedding?"

Yuki laughed. "I hope I won't need another wedding! Hana's really all that I need."

"Aw, Yuki, you're getting mushy," Hatsuharu complained.

"Yes, well, I'm happy with Hana, and she seems to be happy with me. Hm?" Yuki turned, feeling a small tug on his pant leg.

"Congwatuwathuns, Unca Yuki," Hanako intoned shyly. Yuki smiled brightly down at her.

"Thank you, Hanako. You were a wonderful flower girl. Did you have fun?"

The girl nodded happily. "I threw the petalth!"

The Sohmas all laughed, then Momiji took the little girl's hand. "Come on, Hanako, come dance with your Uncle Momiji!" In moments, he was swinging her high into the air on the dance floor. Kyo and Tohru could barely be heard telling him to be careful over Hanako's peals of laughter.

When the reception was finally over, Hana sat leaning her head against Yuki's shoulder in the back seat of the limo. "I had such a beautiful time tonight," she murmured.

Yuki kissed the top of her head lightly. "I'm glad. I'm just happy that we're finally together."

"I love you, Yuki Sohma."

"I love you too, Hana Sohma."

Hana grinned and snuggled closer to her new husband. They were both silent for a moment before she spoke again.

"Now which of your cousins should we set Arisa up with?"


End file.
